Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Getting Started in Homebrewing - Why?

Why am I telling you this story in this space? Two reasons. First, I hope that writing about my first homebrewing experience will enhance the process in two ways...I'll be more "in touch" with what I'm drinking and what I'm writing about and those of you with homebrewing experience will feel free to chime in with tips, tricks, and guidance to keep me on the right path. Second, as I'm learning this process and documenting it all, hopefully it will become somewhat of a guide for others who may also wish to embark on this wonderful trip.
One warning, this will play out over many weeks, several months. I'll jump into this carefully and plan things out over the next several months. Hopefully, you'll be patient with me...unfortunately, it's not the only thing going on! Let's get started...

Best advice is to just jump in and do it. You obviously have an interest. If you answer yes to the following, then you're ready to go:1. Do you have some day/evening of the week with a block of 4-5 hours?2. Do you have the money to buy a simple setup and ingredients for an extract batch?3. Do you understand the basics of sanitation?

If your first batch comes out carbonated and infection-free: Congrats, you're a homebrewer. After that, it's a life-long pursuit of tinkering, perfecting, and upgrading!

You won't be sorry!! If you don't have it already, the recent book from Sam is pretty good, Extreme Brewing. The recipes look pretty good. So far the 60min clone is right on point!! I can't wait till my buddies Indian Brown is done too.